They described their operations at last week's Midwest Dairy School for Reproductive Technology at the Dairy Center near Calmar.

Dennis Mashek, who operates Hill Top Acres near Calmar with his wife, Barb, has developed one of the premier registered Brown Swiss herds in the world.

He is the sixth generation of his family to operate the farm. The Masheks and their three children milk 160 cows and run 700 acres. The Brown Swiss herd has a rolling herd average of 25,000 pounds of milk with 4.4 percent butterfat and 3.6 percent protein.

The Masheks have done embryo transfer since the early 1980s, and they market their genetics worldwide. Their biggest embryo customers are from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Liechtenstein, Australia and New Zealand.

They have bred six bulls that have been on the top of the Brown Swiss production list.

Source: Agri News